A Good Speech
by Veilwuarrah
Summary: Merlin swoons and then he wakes.. but whatever happened between? Wasn't Arthur curious? Missing scene from 4x01.


**Yes. Oneshot. Finally done! Took more time then I expected, I apologise. That last bit was just being difficult and didn't want to come out right. I edited and edited then edited some more 'till it was becoming annoying, so I shall post now, before I change my mind again.. and run the other way! Do let me know what you think.**

**Enjoy~**

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His footsteps thundered through the hallways as the young man strode towards his destination. He knew it will probably take him double amount of time taking this route, but he decided to stick to the lesser used corridors, because he just really wanted to get _there_ already instead of stopping for polite _(pointless!) _chatter with guests and nobles and their ladies.

It was Merlin's fault; he concluded plainly and out of the blue as he pushed passed a large tapestry to head up the stairs hidden behind it.

He was in the middle of his speech, - quite a good speech too - when it happened. A clang and a thud and then it was silence; and though Sir Lancelot came back to him afterwards and brought him news, the man still couldn't tell him much of what exactly had happened to the king's manservant and why Merlin had fainted. – So obviously it was Merlin's fault for causing commotion; and ruining Arthur's frame of mind, despite the celebrations.

Arthur was _not_ worried. He merely wanted to know what that was all about. He wasn't worried, and he certainly didn't have to explain himself to anyone about his tense mood for the rest of the evening; his pointed stares at Sir Lancelot or why he had left the banquet as soon as he could.

He had dodged his uncle pretty well too; Arthur smirked, quite proud of himself for that achievement.

Lord Agravaine was a good strategist and excellent with his words; but the man couldn't deny a lady wanting to talk even if his life depended on it. His resistance seemed to crumble this time too, as no matter how polite he tried to be and shake off Lady Abelota, the conversation just kept on going. Arthur felt a little sorry for him, knowing the woman to be very talkative and hard to get rid of. The lord did send desperate glances towards the prince, signalling wanting to have a word with his nephew, hoping to be _rescued_ from the unwanted company – as if he knew where Arthur wanted to go, and felt he must prevent it, - but the young man ditched him pretty easily, pretending to misunderstand his uncle's gestures and nodded to him with a smile before he slipped out of the main hall through one of the side entrances.

Lady "babbling" Abelota, came handy this time. The blond man smirked to himself. The small victory was quickly diminished however, when Arthur remembered just why he retreated from the celebrations with such haste.

Two guards greeted him once he turned onto the corridor from the staircase, and he nodded at them. The prince felt himself relax a little. At this part of the castle there was little chance of running into anyone he would need to stop for, thus he continued on his way; his feet moving as fast as his thoughts.

He tried to remember how his servant had acted that day but he couldn't find anything out of ordinary. Merlin had been smiling and witty, and he was actually looking forward to this feast. He was late in the morning, as usual, but he's been more or less efficient, even helping with some of the preparations.

However the last glimpse Arthur got of him was something completely different and it made the prince shiver by just remembering it.

The clang got his attention, just like everyone else's in the great hall, and it got very quiet all of a sudden; then he could just catch one look of his manservant as his eyes, seeming darker than usual, went unfocused and rolled into his head, and the deadly pale figure fell to the floor like a sack.

He had to hold back. He was the prince of Camelot; soon to be king; he couldn't run to a servant's side when the idiot chose to swoon in front of the whole court and guests; and not when said crowd gave little interest to the boy and soon turned back to their sovereign for him to continue his speech and carry on with the evening's activities. They came to feast and celebrate after all, who would want to spend the time looking at an unconscious serving boy.

His duties held him bound and Arthur hated it in that moment; more so when he felt Lord Agravaine's expectant glare on himself.

Concerned or not, he had to hold back, not to run to Merlin's side, but lucky Lancelot didn't; and soon the knight gathered the limp figure in his arms and carried him out of the hallway, with the physician right behind him. - The entertainment had to continue.

But that was done and dusted and Arthur finally reached the physician's chamber. Not even bothering to knock, he simply stormed in, but after a quick look around he found the main chamber empty. His glance settled on the slightly ajar back door and continued towards it without a second thought.

"Come on, Merlin.." he heard the elderly physician's coaxing voice and for some reason it made him tense and his stomach suddenly feeling the size of a fist. _What was he doing?_

Arthur slowed his steps, rather to lessen the sound of them, as one involuntarily does around the ill, so not to disturb them. He pushed the door open and then stopped on the top of the stairs observing the physician's work.

Gaius didn't notice him immediately. He was too busy holding a vial to his ward's lips and trying to convince him to swallow it's content. "That's it.." Apparently Merlin did so, but it was clear he wasn't aware of it. He was still pale and shivered under an impressive amount of blankets piled over him.

"Good.. good.." Gaius mumbled to himself, setting aside the emptied vial, he moved to pull the blanket up to cover his ward better. Only then did he notice, he wasn't alone. "Sire!"

"What.. happened to him? How is he?" The prince spoke and hesitantly stepped closer, running his gaze between his servant and the physician.

"He will be alright, I believe." Gaius said slowly as he got to his feet with a huff, gathering his vials and medicine bag from the small table. "He's running a little fever now and I think it was due to exhaustion, but he should recover." The elderly man said and looked back at the warlock with concern; what he said was only half the truth. They managed to warm Merlin up, and his temperature did rise a bit over what would be normal, but he was yet to wake. The sudden loss of consciousness and unnatural chill didn't add up, and if this was some magical attack, he couldn't exactly tell the future king. He will have to wait until his charge wakes to find out more.

"Exhaustion..?" Arthur blurted out, feeling a little guilty, but trying his best to conceal it. He did tend to pile things on the younger man, sometimes just to irk him, or to teach him a lesson, but he never actually thought it could be too much for the manservant to bare.

"Yes, Sire." Merlin's guardian turned to look the prince in the eyes and Arthur had to swallow all of a sudden, trying hard not to feel like a child under Gaius's gaze; a child that has been caught doing something wrong.

"I think Merlin overdid the preparations a bit." The physician said as he turned and picked up a chunk of a burnt candle from Merlin's messy desk and held it out to the blond man. "He was very much looking forward to this celebration."

Arthur took it and suddenly the manservant's mock-singing voice from earlier that morning rang in his ear. _"You won't want this then?" The manservant held up a scroll with glee. "I spent all night working on it."_

"Perhaps you're right.." he said with remorse and looked at his servant. It felt unnerving to see someone always so lively to be so still all of a sudden. He made a quick decision to mind his orders and list of chores better from now on. Merlin's always been by his side throughout the crazy ordeals of these passed years. Looking at the pale motionless figure, he realized he might be taking it all for granted and chances are he will lose that, if he doesn't change.

An elderly hand landed on his shoulder, efficiently drawing his attention away from the cascade of dark thoughts.

"He will be fine, Arthur." The physician said with a weak, yet encouraging smile, that somehow gave the prince the feeling the old man, yet again, could see right into his mind. "Some rest will get him over the fatigue."

"Thank you, Gaius." Arthur nodded. "And please, if.."

"I will send word if anything changes, Sire. However I believe he will be sleeping through the night, and will be alright by tomorrow."

"I'll see him tomorrow morning then." The prince gave a faint smile and a nod, and was about to leave, but then paused.

"It.. was a good speech." He said a little sad, holding up the chunk of the candle for a moment, then placed it back on Merlin's desk. The blond took another look at his unconscious manservant, then took his leave.

Gaius was left with his ward in the small room, realizing there isn't anything else for him to do, but wait.

.

The castle slowly had quieted down, and with only the hearth's cracking fire stirring the silence, Gaius contemplated putting the pestle and mortar aside, and himself away for tomorrow; - his aching shoulders favoring the idea as well.

Merlin was still asleep and he guessed the young man will only wake in the morning, - and for the better, - but just as he thought of it, there was motion in the small room and soon his ward emerged from the doorway; shaken and pale; looking lost and confused as he descended the steps with a blanket wrapped around himself. Gaius immediately forgot any intention to go to bed, and turned all his attention towards his charge.

"Feeling better?"

Merlin nodded a few times before actually saying anything. "Yes.. Yes." He had to clear his throat. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. You passed out at the celebration and were as cold as an icicle." The physician said and pressed a hand on the young man's forehead once he reached him. He still felt a bit warm, but nothing he should be concerned about.

"I.. what?" The warlock looked confused for a moment then glum recognition washed over his features. "Oh.."

The old man knew something was wrong, but he made sure Merlin had a cup of hot tea in hand before anything; then sat to hear him out, uneasy about what he was going to hear; if Merlin's worn look and raspy voice was anything to go by.

"I remember.. Arthur was speaking, then there was a toast for the king, then.. everything stopped, like time has stopped. And there was a woman, an old woman in the middle of the hall.. wearing a worn cloak and had a staff in hand. Looking at me.. straight at me. When she spoke, her voice...it was as though it came from the depths of the earth, and her eyes...they were so sad. So much pain in them. Who is she?"

"The Cailleach, the gatekeeper to the spirit world." The physician had no problem recalling the figure from the tomes he had read.

"Why was she there?"

"It was on the stroke of midnight of Samhain's Eve, the very moment when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. It cannot be a coincidence."

"Why was I the only one to see her?"

"You have great power, Merlin. For someone so gifted, such visions are not uncommon."

Merlin was puzzled. "But you don't understand. It wasn't a vision. She knew who I was. She called me Emrys."

It was at this moment Gaius felt that growing sense of foreboding take a steady hold on him. He suspected as much, that whatever his ward experienced had to be something powerful to have him in a state he ended up in, but this was something far more serious. It all added up to some terrible truth, he dreaded to think about.

"What is it? What does it mean?" Merlin asked eventually.

"I am not sure. But if someone has torn the veil between the worlds, then God help us all."

They have survived dire situations, but this was something else, and it gave Gaius a bad feeling like never before. Whatever magical threat rose against Camelot, he knew Merlin was the one that will have to try and defeat it, for all their sake. But this time he wondered if the warlock will be strong enough to face whatever lies ahead; and he feared for the boy's safety.

They sat in silence for a while, and Gaius could sense that behind the sleepy eyes Merlin's mind was fully awake and thoughts racing about what had happened. Yet he said nothing.

"Best we sleep on it." The physician suggested all of a sudden and got to his feet.

"Right." Merlin nodded, putting his cup aside and he too made his way to his room. "Good night, Gaius."

"Oh, Merlin!" The elderly man called out after him and the servant turned back from the top of the stairs. "Apparently his majesty, Prince Arthur liked his speech."

Merlin looked puzzled for a moment then his face lit up with a tired, but signature grin.

"Well done, Merlin!" Gaius smiled knowingly, wondering just how much value can a small praise like that have to him, in such dire times.

Perhaps enough, he thought, as the warlock certainly looked pleased with himself.

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**Hope you liked it~ **

**Next up.. The Blood Potion.**


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